2000 Chevy Impala Car been sitting

PETER0701

MEMBER
2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA

Engine Cooling problem
2000 Chevy Impala 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

My car has been sitting for 7 months. There is a dark grey slug just inside the rad nozzle. The oil looks good. Is this just from it sitting or is there a bigger problem

1 Reply

TAKECHARGESARGE

MECHANIC
92 POSTS

Peter,
The sludge inside the radiator cap is lube (usually oil) that has found its way into the coolant system and has accumulated there because it is the highest point in the radiator. It could be coming from a number of places, but the manifold gasket and head gaskets are the most likely.
If the lube is coming from the manifold or head gaskets, it could be a bigger problem. I don't know if it would happen from just sitting.
I think I would clean the sludge from the radiator cap and the filler neck and service the coolant system with dexcool.
Then I would drive it for a while and take a look periodically to see how much lube is accumulating.
The only way to cure the problem is to replace the gasket that's leaking.

Also, you need to make sure there is no water in the oil system. Look on the oil dipstick after running the engine. If there's water in the oil, it will be milky looking.

TakeChargeSarge